The power of infographics using pictures to communicate and connect with your audiences

the

Powerof

Infographics
Using Pictures to Communicate
and Connect with Your Audiences

Mark Smiciklas

800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 USA


ii

The Power of InfograPhIcs
CopyrIght © 2012 by pEArSon EdUCAtIon, InC.
All rights reserved. no part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without written permission from the publisher. no patent liability is assumed with respect
to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken
in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for
errors or omissions. nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the
information contained herein.
ISbn-13: 978-0-7897-4949-9
ISbn-10: 0-7897-4949-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication data is on file and available upon request.
printed in the United States of America
First printing: July 2012

trAdEmArkS
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been appropriately capitalized. Que publishing cannot attest to the accuracy of this
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WArnIng And dISCLAImEr
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EdItor-In-ChIEF
greg Wiegand
SEnIor ACQUISItIonS
EdItor
katherine bull
dEvELopmEnt EdItor
karen kline

mAnAgIng EdItor
kristy hart
SEnIor proJECt
EdItor
Lori Lyons
Copy EdItor
gayle Johnson
SEnIor IndExEr
Cheryl Lenser
prooFrEAdEr
kathy ruiz
EdItorIAL ASSIStAnt
Cindy teeters
mEdIA prodUCEr
CovEr dESIgnEr
Anne Jones
CompoSItor
kim Scott, bumpy design
QUE bIz-tECh
EdItorIAL boArd
michael brito
Jason Falls
rebecca Lieb
Simon Salt
peter Shankman


iii

Contents at a GlanCe

Foreword by guy kawasaki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

secTIon I: VIsual communIcaTIon
1

Infographics 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

secTIon II: BusIness InformaTIon needs
2

visualizing numbers and Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3

visualizing how things Work and Are Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4

visualizing Who, When, and Where. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

secTIon III: creaTIng InfograPhIcs
5

Infographic prep Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

6

processing your Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

7

designing your Infographics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

8

publishing your Infographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

secTIon IV: BusIness Value
9

Infographics as an Internal and External Communication tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

10

Infographic roI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

11

Infographic resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189


THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS

iv

table of Contents
secTIon I: VIsual communIcaTIon
1

InFogrAphICS 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
What Are Infographics?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Infographics defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Infographic history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
the Science of visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
hardwiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Easy on the mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
visual Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Why Infographics Work for business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Easy to digest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Shareability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
the “Cool” Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

secTIon II: BusIness InformaTIon needs
2

vISUALIzIng nUmbErS And ConCEptS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using data to tell a Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
the benefits of visualizing research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Understanding the risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Ideas and Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Using visual metaphors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Using Cartoons to Communicate your Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Case Study: the kronos “time Well Spent” Cartoon Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

3

vISUALIzIng hoW thIngS Work And ArE ConnECtEd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
the Jargon dilemma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Infographics help Explain What you do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
business hierarchies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42


table of Contents

relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Simplified Systems thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
business models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4

vISUALIzIng Who, WhEn, And WhErE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
brand humanization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Infographic resumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
business timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
business maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

secTIon III: creaTIng InfograPhIcs
5

InFogrAphIC prEp Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Understanding your Audiences’ Information needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Audience Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setting Infographic objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
the Art of observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Seeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

6

proCESSIng yoUr IdEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
recording your thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
I’m not an Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
different Ways to document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Info-Synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
the Five W’s (and one h) of Infographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

7

dESIgnIng yoUr InFogrAphICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
the Critics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Infographic dIy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
An Infographic rant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
the dIy Infographic Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

v

THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS

vi

outsourcing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
going pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Working with Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

8

pUbLIShIng yoUr InFogrAphICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Audience research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
online publishing Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Infographic home base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Infographic outposts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
offline publishing opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

secTIon IV: BusIness Value
9

InFogrAphICS AS An IntErnAL And ExtErnAL CommUnICAtIon tooL . . . . 137
Using Infographics to build your brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
the business of Infographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Content marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
promoting your Infographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Infographics Inside the organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Internal Adoption of Infographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Internal Communication opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

10

InFogrAphIC roI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
measuring the voI (value of Infographics) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
tangible metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Intangible benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

11

InFogrAphIC rESoUrCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
guide to visual Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Infographic tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
visualization tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
design Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Creating More Effective Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Envisioning Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180


table of Contents

Graph Design for the Eye and Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Information Graphics: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Information Visualization: Perception for Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Marks and Meaning, version zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Now You See It: Simple Visualization Techniques for Quantitative Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Visual Language: Global Communication for the 21st Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don’ts of
Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Information designers, Consultants, and Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Freelance designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

IndEx. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

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About the Author

ix

aBouT The auThor
Mark Smiciklas is the president of Intersection Consulting, a vancouver-based digital marketing and communications agency that teaches organizations how to leverage the dynamics of web 2.0 to achieve business goals. he is an established digital marketing and social
media practitioner recognized for his visual thinking and strategic, no-nonsense approach.
his service offering is framed by core beliefs in listening, stakeholder engagement, trust
creation, and employee empowerment. An interest in the evolution of social business continues to motivate him, as does a passion for teaching. Smiciklas has developed and taught
social media strategy classes for undergraduates and adult learners at a number of Canadian
universities. he also has spoken about a wide variety of digital marketing topics at corporate
and public events and workshops. his genuine love of technology and people continues
to ignite ongoing learning and new thinking that aim to help individuals and organizations

connect with their audiences. Smiciklas hangs out full time at intersectionconsulting.com/
blog. he can be found on twitter at @Intersection1. he is also a regular contributor to socialmediaexplorer.com, the popular digital and social media marketing and online communications blog. he lives in north vancouver, bC, Canada with his lovely wife, three kids, and max
the dog.


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THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS

dedIcaTIon
For Jean, Alexander, Madeleine, and Emily. Your love and support make anything possible.

acknowledgmenTs
Writing a book has been an aspiration of mine for a while. this project could not have
come to fruition without the help, support, and encouragement of my family, friends, and
colleagues.
thanks to tammy dewar at Calliope Learning for her insight and coaching, which helped
ignite a latent passion in me for visual thinking. her encouragement gave me the confidence
to start creating and sharing my infographics. thanks to david Armano at Edelman and
darmano.typepad.com, whose idea art and thought leadership around visual literacy have
inspired my work.
thanks to Jason Falls at Social media Explorer for giving me a platform to share my ideas and
helping get this project off the ground.
A huge thank-you to the team at pearson: katherine bull, romny French, Lori Lyons, and
Cindy teeters. their patience and support kept me on track and mitigated the stress associated with being a first-time author. Also, thanks to michael brito from Edelman and britopian.
com for his insight and advice during the editing process.
Also, a monumental shout-out to guy kawasaki for writing the foreword.
thanks to the designers, agencies, and organizations that agreed to share their information designs: michael Anderson, david Armano, boost Labs, Calliope Learning, Column Five,
Course hero, dIg360, Eloqua, tom Fishburne, dan gustafson, kronos, miovision, mySpace,
Shortstack, and turbotax. your infographics helped illustrate many of the ideas in the book

and really brought the final product to life.
A special thank-you to all the smart folks who invested the time to participate in interviews:
Ali Allage, david Armano, Jay baer, Joe Chernov, tammy dewar, Jason Falls, Stephen Few,
tom Fishburne, mike harding, Andrew harnden, Jason Lankow, Joe pulizzi, mark Schaefer,
brian Singh, Laura Shea Souza, tyler Weaver, and tom Webster. your ideas, insights, and
experiences were invaluable and added important depth and breadth to the book.
Also, thank you to my clients at Intersection Consulting and my colleagues in the vancouver
social media community for their support and kind words.


Acknowledgments

xi

Last, but certainly not least, thanks to my wife and kids. your unwavering support, understanding, and encouragement helped make this book possible. remember, “center of focus.”
I hope you enjoy The Power of Infographics and that it helps you learn more about how
information design can help you communicate and connect with your audiences. I’d love to
hear from you. If you’re interested in chatting about the ideas in this book, please join the
conversation at facebook.com/powerofinfographics, or feel free to connect on twitter at
@Intersection1.


xii

THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS

we wanT To hear from You!
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your opinion and want to know what we’re doing right, what we could do better, what areas
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Foreword

xiii


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I

ViSual

communication
1

infographics 101


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Infographics
101

1

I

f you’ve read a newspaper or blog, flipped through a magazine, or used social
media recently, you’ve likely come across infographics—those self-contained
pictorials that tell you the gist of a story or concept at a glance.

But what is their purpose? Are infographics simply eye candy that publishers and
brand journalists use to gloss up their content, or do they aim to fulfill a greater
business communication objective?

What are InfographIcs?
You’ve probably heard the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words,” a
manifesto that speaks to the value and efficiency of visual communication.
An infographic (short for information graphic) is a type of picture that blends
data with design, helping individuals and organizations concisely communicate
messages to their audience (see Figure 1.1).

InfographIcs DefIneD
More formally, an infographic is defined as a visualization of data or ideas that
tries to convey complex information to an audience in a manner that can be quickly
consumed and easily understood.
The process of developing and publishing infographics is called data visualization, information design, or information architecture.


4

THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS

FIGuRE 1.1 Anatomy of an infographic.
Infographics combine data with design to enable visual learning. This communication process helps deliver
complex information in a way that is more quickly and easily understood.


C H A P T E R 1 | Infographics 101

5

From a business perspective, one definition of infographics resonates above the rest. British graphic designer, author, and information design theorist Nigel Holmes simply refers to
them as “explanation graphics.”
As a marketer, business owner, or manager, you can boil down your communication goals to
explaining things to your audience. Infographics can help you communicate the following:

•
•
•
•

Thought leadership and product features and benefits to your prospects
Business process and service options to your customers
Ideas and policies to your staff
Corporate philosophy and strategy to your investors

Infographics can help your organization more effectively explain important information to
your internal and external stakeholders.

Business Uses
Now that you have a basic understanding of what infographics are, what are some ways you
can implement them into your business communication mix?
First, it’s important to understand that infographics are not used solely for external communication. They are a great medium for delivering marketing messages or insights to
consumers and prospects, but they are equally effective when used to enhance internal
communication.
Before you figure out how you can start using infographics, it helps to understand the
nature of the information you are trying to communicate.
Business information can be divided into the following groups:

•
•

Statistics—metrics such as sales, revenue, market research, surveys

Ideas—concepts, theories, thought leadership, ideology

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Process—manufacturing, customer service, sales funnel, lead generation, supply
chain

Chronology—history, order of events, timelines, schedules
Geography—locations, metrics by region
Anatomy—ingredients, components, lists
Hierarchy—organizational structure, needs assessment
Relationships—internal, external, people, products/services
Personality—brand humanization, organizational culture


6

THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS
Many people are familiar with statistics being represented as infographics because of the
popularity of data visualization and its use in traditional media. However, business owners,
marketers, and managers tend to overlook the use of infographics to communicate other
types of information.
The next section delves into information categories in more detail. You will begin to see how
infographics can effectively represent different types of business data and how they can
become a powerful part of your organization’s communication strategy.

InfographIc hIstory
Today, infographics can be used by a wide variety of individuals and organizations to
enhance their communication. “Solopreneurs,” small businesses, nonprofits, and large corporations can all find ways to use infographics to make their information more interesting and
accessible to their target audiences.
You can find infographics published in traditional media such as newspapers and magazines and across digital channels, where social media has helped fuel an explosion in their
popularity.
To the casual observer, it would appear that infographics are a recent phenomenon that has
been growing in conjunction with the growth of the Internet. The reality is that we have
been using icons, graphics, and pictures throughout history to tell stories, share information,
and build knowledge, as shown in Figure 1.2.
As we entered the new millennium the publishing of infographics became more democratized, and their use began to extend beyond academia and traditional media channels.
Today, in an era of information overload and shortened attention spans, organizations of all
sizes are using infographics to quickly deliver information and understanding to internal and
external audiences. Add the fact that social media fuels “shareability,” and everything points
to infographics becoming one of the most effective forms of content for communicating
information in the digital age. (Shareability is explained in greater detail later in this chapter.)


C H A P T E R 1 | Infographics 101

7

the scIence of VIsUalIzatIon
Brain research related to the physiology of sight and the ways in which we process information using our eyes presents compelling rationale for considering the use of infographics in
your business communication mix.

harDWIrIng
Vision is a huge part of the physical brain. Approximately 50% of the brain is dedicated
(directly or indirectly) to visual functions.1
The network of cells, neurons, and fibers that hosts all this activity is truly expansive. Within
the eye, the retina alone is made up of more than 150 million cells and is actually a physical
extension of the brain. In addition, neurons that are responsible for visual activity take up
a large portion of the brain’s real estate, representing approximately 30% of our total gray
matter. To put this in perspective, neurons for touch and hearing make up only 8% and 3%,
respectively.2

easy on the MInD
With all this visual “hardwiring” in place, it makes sense that it would be less complicated for
the brain to process infographics than pure text.
Each letter in a word is essentially a symbol. To read text, the brain needs to act as a decoder
first, matching those letters with shapes stored in memory. From there the brain must figure out how all the letters fit together to form words, how words form sentences, and how
sentences form paragraphs. Although all this comprehension takes place in only a split second, relatively speaking, when compared to how the brain deals with images, the process
requires considerably more mental effort.3
One of the reasons we can process images faster than text is because of how the brain
handles information. It processes data from pictures all at once but processes text in a linear
manner, as shown in Figure 1.3.
So, in a way, by using infographics to communicate, you make it physically easier for your
audience to relate and connect to your information.
In a TED talk about the beauty of data visualization, writer and designer David McCandless
expands on the idea that infographics provide a sense of relief in a landscape filled with a
mind-numbing amount of information:

“There’s something almost quite magical about visual information. It’s effortless. It literally pours in. If you’re navigating a dense information jungle, coming across a beautiful
graphic or lovely data visualization is a relief. It’s like coming across a clearing in the
jungle.”4


8

THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS

 
A brief history of infographics.


C H A P T E R 1 | Infographics 101

9


10

THE POWER OF INFOGRAPHICS

FIGuRE 1.3
Visual learning.